Bitter cold here to stay

An Arctic air mass will remain stationed over the Great Lakes for at least the next week, resulting in very cold temperatures. (National Weather Service Detroit)

An Arctic air mass will remain stationed over the Great Lakes for at least the next week, resulting in very cold temperatures. (National Weather Service Detroit)

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An Arctic air mass will remain stationed over the Great Lakes for at least the next week, resulting in very cold temperatures. (National Weather Service Detroit)

An Arctic air mass will remain stationed over the Great Lakes for at least the next week, resulting in very cold temperatures. (National Weather Service Detroit)

Bitter cold here to stay

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Bitter cold temperatures are here to stay for a while, with wind chills expected to be well below zero today.

High temps will struggle to make it out of the teens through early next week, with wind chills today remaining below zero, most likely between -10 and -15, says the National Weather Service in Detroit.

An Arctic air mass will remain stationed over the Great Lakes for at least the next week.

Hypothermia and frostbite are possible in such cold conditions - it is strongly advised that people bundle up and limit time outside.

And keep hydrated.

"Taking the outdoor air this morning and heating it to room temperature without humidifying it, you can end up with an indoor relative humidity as low as 5 percent," says information published on the Facebook page of the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids. "That's desert-level dry. It may seem silly to say this in winter, but remember to drink plenty of water! And give your Christmas tree some water too."

In northern Lower Michigan, heavy lake effect snow will continue in west northwest flow favored areas through Wednesday as the coldest air of the winter surges into the Great Lakes, according to the NWS in Gaylord. Areas of blowing snow, slick travel and low visibility will continue to create hazardous driving conditions in some areas, especially along and west of I-75.

Grand Rapids received 7.0 inches of snow on Christmas, which ties the record with 1990, according to NWS in Grand Rapids. Including Christmas Eve, the two-day total was 8.5 inches, which is the fourth snowiest on record (2001 saw 10.4 inches combined for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). Snow measurements were taken at the NWS office/Gerald R. Ford International airport.